Three Small Words
by MondayMornings13
Summary: Sequel to "She Waits", which is also kind of Season 7 already.


_AN: Hi guys, so how's it going? We're almost theeeree! Just 12 more days and hiatus will finally be over, of course we'll have to deal with all the feeling but that's what we do right? Anyway this is a sequel to my other fic "She waits" I hope you like it. I don't own anything related to Castle ;) _

Kate could still feel the warmth of the sunset from her dreams when she wakes up. A calm breeze walks into their room, making the soft bed sheet caress her skin. She can hear the ocean waves breaking in the distance, bringing, almost automatically, the fresh smell of the sea to her nostrils.

Although her head still feels kind of dizzy from the terrible dream that she had last night, little by little, her senses come to life, concentrating in one spot of her body, where Castle's arm rests wrapped around her waist, he was alive. She could feel his heat behind her now, hear his tender snoring and smell the scent of his cologne, mixed with the ocean. Kate turns to him, hypnotized by his presence and strokes his hair gently. He looks so peaceful while sleeping; it makes her feel safe, like nothing else mattered but their little moment there, their little promise of "Always".

"Hey, hmm I know I'm ruggedly handsome, but you don't need to stare, Kate" he says with a husky voice, sending shivers down her spine and butterflies to her stomach, God that was sexy.

"I know, babe, I was just…" her voice fades, although she was sure he was alive, the images were still fresh on her mind. They haunted her and made sure that all of that was just a spectrum of what she lived through when he went missing.

"Another bad dream?"

Damn, the signs were too clear by now; did she wake him up again? Was he just pretending to sleep? Looking into his eyes, though, she could only find love and devotion, sending a warmth feeling that seemed to wrap her entire body.

She closes her eyes and nods, "Yeah, but don't worry about it. It's over now."

He smiles and she notices the tiny details of his lips, how soft they look and how they always seem to guard a secret kiss that he only shares with her. She remembers vaguely about her childhood but one thing she can never forget is how her mother used to look at her father's lips before kissing him, she never knew why and for a little 5 year old Kate Beckett it even seemed kind of gross, but she understands now, because she too does that. They both want to make sure that the kiss is still there, perfectly safe and treasured.

Castle gently puts a lock of her hair behind her ear and kisses her forehead, then the tip of her nose and finally he reaches her lips. She feels her heart bumping loudly inside her chest and her head begins to spin. If there was ever a small remaining of her nightmare, it was long gone now, leaving nothing but the sweet taste of his mouth and the burning trail of electricity that his hands left wherever he touched her.

They break from the kiss, their breathing still uneven, and he gently rests his forehead in hers. With her eyes closed she can only hear him whisper, ever so softly. "I love you, Kate."

Three words, they're just three small words, but she can understand so much from them. He wants to make sure that she's fine, that he's there for her now and forever, that he's her husband and that he'll never, ever stop loving her.

_Till this day, happily married, with 80 years on her back and surrounded by their grandchildren, she still looks at his eyes and they haven't aged, she looks at his lips and they still guard her kiss. She remembers each and every single time they kissed and she remembers how those three small words seemed magical at first, how at some point, desperate and inconsolable, they seemed like his last words and how over the years they grew bigger and bigger, just like their family. She knows by now that they don't have much time left, she holds his hand, old but still a writer's hand and nothing else matters, as long as she keeps replying to him, meaning each and every single word: _

"And I love you too, Castle. Always"


End file.
